CI^c (Sospcl Aom 




Ahhabah.—\hovS..] Tikvah.—SYLovz.] Emmunah.—[VAitii.] 
♦* $civ thetj srljall be asr tl)C atones of ci Cratvn, 
^iftc^ ui;» a» an ClBnetgn u^jon ^t» $an^♦" 



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®he ®o0i.ti>l ixx ^tonc 



3t It t It o t* ' » (!L ^ 1 1 i o »t 



WtUiain thermae Qclntd 



^ ^.t V 1 1* « •>"»*' C<5 c» I b t tt y i c t It I' e d of § i I ti c x* 



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THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



The Best Way to Read this Little Book 



The author would suggest to the reader, to read the Poem 
first without pausing to note the figures or scriptural refer- 
ences; then read a second time in connection with the foot- 
notes. If disposed to protest this draft upon your time, he 
has only to say in self-defense, that a book that is not worth 
reading twice is not worth reading once. 

The Christian should alwaj^s read God's word, and even 
extracts from it, with a prayerful lifting up of the thought to 
Him for the enlightening help of the Spirit of Truth : Like 
Davifl, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous 
things out of Thy Law." Or like Peter, "We have also a 
more sure Word of Prophecy unto which ye do well that ye 
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until 
the Day dawn." Or like Paul, "All Scripture is given by in- 
spiration of God, and is profitable." 




A/i/iada/i.— [Love.] T'/zfrvz//.— [Hope.] E)in/iu>/a/i.— [Faith.] 

DESCRIPTIVE 

The 1)ase of the piece of monumental statuary from which the above 

illustration was taken, is of gray limestone ; the three dies are 

of dark red marble ; and the three shafts of Italian 

marble : opposite the Hebrew words 

are the same texts in English. 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



A POEM 



BY w;ktV^helms 




The Cottagk Pui.pit Pubijshing Company 
1891 



/ 



^'a 



W"^ 



V' 



A 



Entered accordi^t^ to Act of Congress, in the Year 1890, by IV. T. 

Het)iis, in the Office of the IJbrarian of Congress^t 

Washington. All rights reserved. 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

[See Frontispiece] 



PART FIRST — THE SYMBOLISM OF THE STONES 

Man's common state in nature^ since the fall 

Is imaged in the limestone pedestal : 

A stony heart, impervious to grace 

Till God in Christ shows a forgiving face. 

As limestone's chiefest virtue is evolved 
When by great heat it is to dust dissolved, 



1 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done 
this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above ever}^ beast of the field. 
. . . And I will put enmity between thee and the woman; and be- 
tween i/iy seed and her seed ; // shall bruise thy head, and ihoii shalt 
bruise His heel. . . . And unto Adam He said, Because tho/t hast 
hearkened unto the voice of thy zt'T/^", and (hast eatefi of the tree, of 
which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it : cursed is 
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of 
thy life ; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. . . In 
the siveat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the 
ground ; for out of it wast thou taken. (Genesis iii. 14-19. ) Ihit they 
refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their 
ears that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an 
.\D.\MANT STONE. (Zechariah vii. 11, 12.) Joshua said unto all the peo- 
ple. Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us ; . . a 7vitness unto 
you, lest j<? deny your GOD. (Joshua xxiv. 27. ) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



So through the furnace'' here of holy strife 
By grace we reach the goal, eternal life. 

Three marble cubes emerge as from this floor, 
Of equal size, and color red as gore; 
These symbolize souls here by grace renewed,'' 
Who feed on Christ, with strength divine indued. 

In Adam dead, in Christ they now revive, 
And are in Him forevermore alive ; 
But if the}^ step without this bloody fold. 
As under sin, they are to Satan sold.'* 

- 1 have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. ( Isaiah xlviii. lo.) 
I will bring the third part through they're, and will refine them as sil- 
ver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried, and they shall call on 
my name, and I will hear them : I will say, It is my people ; and they 
shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah xiii. 9.) And I will take 
the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh. 
( Ezekiel xi. 19.) The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan ; even the Lord that 
hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee : is not this a brand plucked from 
the burning ? (Zechariah iii. 2.) 

■' Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life ; 
and I will raise him up at the last day. (John vi. 54.) The words that 
I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John vi. 63.) For 
the bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth 
life unto the world. (John vi. 33.) [Awakened souls hunger for this 
Bread, and find it in the zVords of the Saviour, and there only. The 
body lives by means of matter, but the mind by spirit, by thought, by 
words ; and th» quality of this mental pabulum that the man, wom- 
an, or child daily and hourly feeds upon, determines at once the pres- 
ent character and prospective destiny of the individual.] 

* For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, 
(i Corinthians xv. 22.) For we know that the law is spiritual, but I 
am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans vii. 14.) 



THE GOSPElv IN STONE 



No tapered columns from these bases rise, 

Like marble fingers pointing to the skies; 

But, squared and plumb, the pure white shafts 
appear. 

As stones made ready ^ for God's temple here. 

Three colors here combined — white, red, and 

gray — 
Our capabilities of life portray; 
In nature wanting,^ like the day begun 
Kre yet illumined by the rising sun : 

By grace we pass as through a sea of blood; 
In Christ have access to the heav'nly food; 
Are crucified with Him, yet in Him live,^ 
And by his bounty life divine receive. 

5 And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of 
His people : for they shall be as the stones of a crown., lifted up as an 
Ensign upon the land. ( Zechariah ix. i6.) That our daughters may 
be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace. ( Psalm 
cxliv. 12.) For we which have believed do enter into rest. . . For 
he speaketh in a certain place of the Seventh Day on this wise, And 
God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place 
again. If they shall enter into my rest. . . There remaineth there- 
fore a rest to the People of God. ( Hebrews iv. 3-1 1.) 

^ But the naturdl man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God : 
for they am foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because 
they are spiritually discerned. ( i Corinthians ii. 14.) The entrance 
of Thy words giveth light. ( Psalm cxix. 130.) 

' I am crucified with Christ : nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ 
liveth in me. (Galatians ii. 20.) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek 
those things which are above. (Colossians iii. i.) 



THE GOSPEI. IN STONE 



As in the gray — mankind in nature stand ; ^ 
The red — exhibits God's transforming hand;''' 
And last the white — man 's highest, holy state, 
When God by Christ shall all things recreate.^" 

"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. (Job 
xiv. 4.) As it is written, There is none righteous : . . . There 
is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the wa}-, 
they are together become unprofitable ; there is none that doeth good, 
no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their tongues 
they have used deceit : the poison of asps is under their lips : whose 
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness : their feet are swift to shed 
blood ; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace 
have they not known : there is no fear of God before their eyes. (Ro- 
mans iii. 10-18.) 

'^ Who is this that cometli from Edoni, with djed garments from 
Bozrah ? this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness 
of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 
Wherefore art Thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him 
that treadeth in the winefat ? I have trodden the winepress alone, and 
of the people there was none with me : . . and their blood shall be 
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. ( Isaiah 
Ixiii. 1-3.) For ye are all the Children of God by faith in Christ jESUS. 
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on 
Christ. . . . If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs 
according to the promise. (Galatians iii. 26-29.) ^^^ ^^ said unto 
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creat- 
ure. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that 
believeth not shall be damned. (Mark xvi. 15, 16.) 

'"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in w/iite raiment : 
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess 
his name before my Father, and before his angels. ( Revelation iii. 
5.) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me. What are these 
which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I 
said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they 
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and 
made them luhite in the blood of the Lamb. . . The Lamb which 
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters : and God shall wipe away all tears from 
their eyes. ( Revelation vii. 13-17.) 



THE GOSPElv IN STONE ii 



PART SECOND — MAN AS FALLEN IN ADAM AND 
AS RISEN IN CHRIST 

What a thick darkness over Eden stole 
When death came in and captured ev'ry soul ! 
God'vS light gone out of man, a tomb was he ^ 
Of all the generations that should be! 

Yon sturdy oak that from the earth was torn, 
A thousand years of fruitage might have borne ; 
A thousand forests peopled with young trees, 
But what, compared to man, were all of these ! 

Man is not flesh alone, or e'en in chief,' 
For nature 's reign in him at most is brief; 

' For the love of Christ coiistraineth us : because we thus judge, that 
if One died for all, then were all dead ; and that He died for all, that 
they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto 
Hint which died for them, and rose again. ( 2 Corinthians v. 14, 15.) 
But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. ( i Timothy 
V. 6.) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt 
not eat of it : for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 
die. (Genesis ii. 17.) 

- And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness : 
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the 
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over 
every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created 
man in His own image. (Genesis i. 26, 27.) There is a natural liody, 
and there is a spiritual body. ( i Corinthians xv. 44.) 



12 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

The breath of God made him a living soul, 
That life as long as His man might control.'" 

Beyond the grave ^ there is now rest for all 
Who heard, and here obeyed, the Master's call ; 
But after death no rest remains for those 
Who Jesus slew, Barabbas leader chose. 

All slay Him here who now the faith deny,^ 
And seek by other ways to reach the sky: 
Who hopes for life, but not on Christ depends. 
His name and influence to Satan lends. 

Who by their actions say no grace they need, 

* And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, 
to know good and evil : and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take 
also of the f7-ee of life, and eat, and live forever : therefore the Lord 
God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from 
whence he was taken. So He drove out the man ; and He placed at 
the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which 
turned ever}' way, to keep the way of the tree of life. ( Genesis iii. 
22-24.) 

* To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. (Luke xxii. 43.) Hav- 
ing a desire to depart, and to be with Christ ; which is far better : nev- 
ertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. (Philippians i. 

23, 24-) 

^ He that is not with Me is against Me. ( Matthew xii. 30.) For it is 
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of 
the heavenly Gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and 
have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to 
come, if t/ity shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance ; 
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put hitn 
to an open shame. (Hebrews vi. 4-6.) 



THE GOSPElv IN STONE 13 



These cause the Saviour's wounds afresh to 
bleed ; 

Who in their hearts no love for Jesus feel, 

Their enmity to Him by this reveal." 

If from yon shafts the texts, Faith, Hope, and 

Love,' 
There graved in stone but echoed from above. 
You take and hold fast, surel}- God will keep 
Your soul secure till you in Jesus sleep : 

Or else, if watching, till, with dazzled eyes. 
You see His Cloud descending from the skies ; 
For all who now with mortal life are blessed 
May not be called beneath the sod to rest.*" 

" They pierced my hands and my feet. (Psalm xxii. 16.) Behold, He 
Cometh with clouds : and every eye shall see Him, and they also which 
pierced Him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. 
Even so, amen. (Revelation i. 7.) Jesus said unto them. If God were 
your Father, ye would love me. (John viii. 42.) 

' And now abideth Faith, Hope, Love, these three ; but the greatest 
of these is Love, (i Corinthian.? xiii. 13.) If ye abide in me, and my 
rvords abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done 
unto you. . . . If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my 
love ; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in 
his love. (John XV. 7-10:) By ^rari? are ye saved through faith. ( Ephe- 
sians ii. 5.) We are saved by hope. (Romans viii. 24.) This is love, 
that we walk after His commandments. (2 John 6.) 

''This same Jp:sus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so 
come in like manner as j-e have seen him go into heaven. (Acts i. 
II.) Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we 
shall all be changed, in a moment, (i Corinthians xv. 51, 52.) 



14 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

Prepare to meet thy God! and if He cotae 
As here supposed, through heaven's rifted dome, 
Or as at the last breath He comes to all,^ 
You may unterrified obey the call. 

Take up the cross and crucify the man 

Yovi j'onrse/f call — this is the Gospel plan;^" 

Not bodily, but in your nobler part, 

The ruling will and tempers of the heart. 

*At midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh ; 
go ye olit to meet him. (Matthew xxv. 6.) God said unto him. Thou 
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall 
these things be which thou hast provided ? ( Luke xii. 20.) 

'"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up 
his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew xvi. 24.) Knowing this, that our 
old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be de- 
stroyed ; that henceforth we should not serve sin. ( Romans vi. 6.) 
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections 
and lusts. (Galatians v. 24.) But I keep under my body, and bring it 
into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to 
others, I myself should be a castaway, (i Corinthians ix. 27). 



THE GO-SPEIv IN STONE 15 



PART THIRD — GOD'S KINGDOM AT HAND, BUT 
INVISIBLE — RULE OF THE COMFORTER 

Believe, repent, and lo ! the Word is near ; 
Ask, and receive the Holy Comforter!^ 
But first obey, 't is better in God's eyes, 
Than promises, or any sacrifice. 

Christ in the Spirit comes to every heart. 
There stands, and waits a blessing to impart ; 
Admit this Royal Guest within your door," 
Life, peace, and joy are yours forevermore. 



^ Then Peter said unto them, [the thousands who were convinced of 
their sin in having rejected jESUS :] Repent, and be baptized every one 
of you in the name of jESUS Christ for the remission of sins, and ye 
shall receive, the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts ii. 38.) If ye then, be- 
ing evil, know how to give good gifts iinto your children, how much 
more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that 
ask Him ? (Luke xi. 13.) 

■^ Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while 
He is near : let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
his thoughts ; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have 
mercy. . . Go out with joy, and be led forth with peace : the 

mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and 
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn 
shall come up the fir tree, aad instead of the brier shall come up the 
myrtle tree : [as perhaps intended to signify the removal of the curse 
pronounced upon the earth itself, as recorded in the third chapter of 
Genesis, and the present blessings to be poured out upon the souls 
of those who believe, repent, atid obey the Lord jESUS :] and it shall 
be to the Lord for a name, for au everlasting sign. (Isaiah Iv. 6-13.) 



i6 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

Not in himself, but man, now Satan -reigns,"^ 
And vast dominion on this earth maintains : 
Self crucified,^ the sacrifice God owns 
And in a new heart Christ as King enthrones. 

I keep my body nnder, Paul declared; 
' T was thus against his carnal self he warred ; 
The battle fought within, and self kept down,' 
No outward foes can rob us of our crown. 

Self is divorce from God, and weds to sin," 
'T is here the miseries of man begin ; 



■' And when He had dipped the sop He j^ave it to Judas Iscariot, the 
son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. (John xiii. 
27.) And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and 
sins ; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this 
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that 
now worketh in the children of disobedience : Among whom also we 
all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfill- 
ing the desires of the flesh and of the mind ; aud were by nature the 
children of wrath, even as others. ( Ephesians ii. 1-3.) 

^ Until Christ be formed in you. (Galatians iv. 19.) And they that 
are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the aff"ections and lusts. (Ga- 
latians V. 24.) 

^And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot 
be my disciple. (Luke xiv. 27.) Casting down imaginations, and every 
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of GoD, and 
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. ( 2 
Corinthians x. 5.) 

•* But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, 
speak evil of the things they understand not, and shall utterly perish 
in their own corruption. (2 Peter ii. 1 2.) So I gave them up unto their 
own hearts' lusts, and they walked in their own counsels. O that my 
people had hearkened unto me ! (Psalm Ixxxi. 12, 13.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 17 

A truth that hearts unchanged will not receive, 
But plain to all who in the Christ believe. 

In nature dominant the danger lies; 
Here lurks the foe to rob us of the prize ! 
Nor dare we for an instant yield the reins 
To conquered self, lest he the throne regains.' 

But, as when chimneys burn the flues resume 
A safer state by what the flames consume; 
K 'en passions stirred the saint need not alarm ; 
Walled in by faith, the fire will do no harm,'' 

^ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts 
of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit 
against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other. (Gala- 
tians V. 16, 17.) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the 
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour : 
whom resist, steadfast in the faith ; knowing that the same afliictious 
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world, (i Peter v. 
8. 9.) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own 
lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth 
sin ; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James i. 14, 15.) 

*" Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ; for when he is tried, 
he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to 
them that love Him. (James i. 12.) There hath no temptation taken 
you but such as is common to man : But God is faithful, who will not 
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, bnt will with the 
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it 
(I Corinthians x. 13.) ]\Iy brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into di- 
vers temptations : knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh 
patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be per- 
fect and entire, wanting nothing. (James i. 2-4) Stand fast in the 
faith, quit you like men, be strong, (i Corinthians xvi. 13.) And, lo, I 
am with vou alway, even unto the end of the world. (The Lokij.). 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

To follow Christ is to be made like Hun, 
And holy lives no willful sins bedim; 
If in this narrow way your race is run/' 
No cloud will overcast the setting sun. 

As when the Red Man trod here deserts wild, 
Than leader's track no other steps beguiled, 
So with the soul on heav 'nly rest intent/" 
He only asks which zvay the Master wentf 



"Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds ; and have 
p7it on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image 
of Hini that created him. (Colossians iii. 9, 10.) He that is begotten 
of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toiicheth him not. ( i 
John V. 18.) But if the Spirit of Him that raised up JKSUS from the 
dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also 
quicken your mortal [ that is, dead ] bodies, hy His Spirit that dwell- 
eth in you. (Romans viii. 11.) My flesh also shall rest in hope. 
(Psalm xvi. 9.) 

'"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me. (Mat- 
thew xvi. 24.) JESX'S saith unto him, I am the waj', the truth, and 
the life : no man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John xiv. 6.) 
For through Flim we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 
(Ephesians ii. 18.) For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold 
the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. (Hebrews 
iii. 14.) Let ns lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so 
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before 
us, looking unto jESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith ; who 
for the jo)' that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the 
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (He- 
brews xii. I, 2.) Draw me, we will rim after Thee. (Solomon's Song 
i. 4.) I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the 
broad ways I will' seek Him whom my soul loveth. . . . Saw ye 
Hitn? (Solomon's Song iii. 2, 3.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 19 



PART FOTRTH — CONTEMPLATIVE OF THE DEAD 
IN CHRIST 

O fellow - mortal ! move with rev 'rent tread 
About those mounds where sleep the holy dead ! 
For feet of angels,' stationed there by God, 
May press with 3'Ours the overlying sod. 

Italia's blocks no chiseled names disclose 
Of saints whose bodies in these graves repose," 
For here they represent ascended souls 
Whose names the Book of Life alone enrolls. 

As in the white stone Christ on us bestows 
A new iiame\s' ivrit ';/ none but the holder knows, 

' The angel of the Lord encanipeth round about theui that fear Him. 
(Psalm xxxiv. 7.) Who maketh His angels spirits ; his ministers a 
flaming fire. (Psalm civ. 4.) But ye are come unto Mount Zion. . . 
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly 
and Church of the First-born, which are written in Heaven. ( He- 
brews xii. 22, 23.) The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even 
thousands of angels. (Psalm Ixviii. 17.) When n\\ father and mv 
mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. (Psalm xxvii. 10.) 

-' In the famijy piece of monumental statuary of which our engrav- 
ing is an illustration, the names of those whose remains are there laid 
to rest, as will be seen, appear only on the red marble dies, as signi- 
fying that in our resurrection our names even may be changed. Two 
of the patriarchs and three of the apostles had new names given unto 
them, and what was the exception here may be the rule hereafter. 



20 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

What mortal hand on marble here may blaze 
Their names aright^ who on His face now gaze? 

When Mary looked that morn in Jesus ' tomb 
Two angel forms* broke the sepulchral gloom ; 
And there a torch was lit whose golden ray 
Sheds restful light on Christian graves to-day. 

While holy angels bear the soul away;^ 
Yet others by the sleeping dust may stay; 
Nor can an atom of it e 'er be lost 
Whose ransom has been paid at such a cost ! 



^ Thou shalt be called by a new name. (Isaiah Ixii. 2.) But rather 
rejoice because your names are written in Heaven. (Luke x. 20.) He 
telleth the number of the stars : He calleth them all by their names. 
(Psalm cxlvii. 4.) To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the 
hidden manna, and will give him a White Stone, and in the stone a 
uciu name ivriiten, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. 
(Revelation ii. 17.) 

♦ But Mary stood without at the Sepulchre weeping ; and as she 
wept she stooped down and looked into the Sepulchre, and seeth two 
angels in white, sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, 
where the Body of jESUS had lain. (John xx. 11, 12.) But I would 
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are 
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope, (i 
Thessalonians iv. 13.) 

■'There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine 
linen, and fared sumptuously every day : and there was a certain beg- 
gar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and 
desiring to be fed with crumbs which fell from the rich man's table : 
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, 
that the beggar died, and was carried by the an,o^e/s into Abraham's 
bosom. (Luke xvi. 19-22.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 21 



He who in loving arms each saint infolds," 
A force omnipotent o 'er natnre holds ; 
Nor less in atoms than in rolling spheres 
His wisdom, power, wondrons skill appears. 

And as, by accident howe 'er displaced. 
No atom from this globe has been effaced. 
Doubt not our God the dust of all can find,' 
Though buried deep or scattered to the wind. 



"And He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, 
and blessed them. (Mark x. 16.) The eternal God is thy refuge, and 
underneath are the Everlasting Arms. (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 27.) And 
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me 
in heaven and in earth. (Matthew xxviii. 18.) They took ashes of the 
furnace, and stood before Pharaoh : and Moses sprinkled it up toward 
heaven ; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man 
and upon beast. (Exodus ix. 10.) They say unto Him, We have here 
but five loaves and two fishes. He said. Bring them hither to me. . 
. . . They that had eaten were about five thousand men. (Mat- 
thew xiv. 17-21.) 

^ Some of you shall they cause to be put to death ; and ye shall be 
hated of all men for my name's sake, but there shall not a hair of 
your head perish. (Luke xxi. 16-18.) Thy dead men shall live; to- 
gether with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that 

dwell in dust The earth shall cast out the dead. ( Isaiah 

xxvi. 19.) So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied 
there was a noise, and behold, a shaking; and the bones came to- 
gether, bone to his bone. . . . Ye shall know that I am the Lord 
when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up 
out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, 
and I shall place you in your own land : then shall ye know that I the 
Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. (Ezekiel 
xxxvii. 7-14.) [While this prophecy applies directly to the Jews, and 
is full of comfort to them, as a pledge of divine mercy held in store 
for them, when they shall consent to be turned to God, it also, in its 
broader significance, refers to the general resurrection.] 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



PART FIFTH— JESUS AND THE RESURRECTION 

Christ's death and resurrection He portrays 
By simple ordinances, not by days;' 
Do this, do that, within His word is found 
Of JEvSus' LaM' the center, scope, and bound. 

His works may no one meddle with when done;"^ 
Man needs no candle here to view the sun : 
Unclose the eyelids, lo, gone is the night! 
For nature's fountain fills the soul with light. 

' As they were eating, jESUS took bread, and blessed it, and brake it 
and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat : this is my body. And 
He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying. Drink 
ve all of it ; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed 
for many for the remission of sins. { Matthew xxvi. 26-28.) For I 
have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That 
the Lord jESUS the same night in which He was betrayed took bread : 
And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said. Take, eat : this 
is my body, which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of Me. 
. . . . For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup [that 
is, follow and obey Christ in the reverent observance of this simple 
but divinely eloquent word-picture of the crucifixion,] ye do show\.\\(t 
Lord's death till He come, (i Corinthians xi. 23-26.) Go ye therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you, ( Matthew xxviii. 19, 20.) 

- If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him 
the plagues that are written in this Book : And if any man shall take 
away from the words of the Book of this prophecy, God shall take 
away his part out of the Book of Life. (Revelation xxii. 18, 19.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 23 



Not bodies as a whole are changed at last, 
But ev 'ry atom is as if recast ; 
And thus the mystery of life is solved 
As spirit out of matter is evolved.' 

The husbandman his seed casts in the ground ; 
But wait awhile, and what a change is found ! 
From seeming death a verdant life upsprings,^ 
And Nature's heart with silent rapture sings. 

Thus shall those bodies buried now from sight. 
Spring forth in forms all radiant with light — ' 

•^It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body, (i Corinth- 
ians XV. 44.) Though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in 
my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within 
me. (Job xix. 26, 27.) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, 
we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly, (i Corinthians xv. 49.) 

■* And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall 
be, but bare grain : . . . but God giveth it a body, . . to every 
seed its own body. ... So also is the resurrection of the dead. 
(Ibid, verses 37, 38, and 42.) But some man will say, How'are the dead 
raised up ? and with what body do they come ? Thou fool, that which 
thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. ( Ibid, verses 35, 36.) 

* Ye are all the Children of Light, (i Thessalonians v. 5.) It is sown 
in dishonor ; it is raised in glory : it is sown in weakness ; it is raised in 
power. . . . Behold, I show yon a mystery; We shall not all sleep, 
but we shall all be changed. . . . For this corruptible must put ou 
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this 
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have 
put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is 
written. Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is thy 
sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? (i Corinthians xv. 43, 51-55.) 
The dead in Christ shall rise first, (i Thessalonians iv. 16.) 



24 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



Hearts pulsing warm, ej'-es brimmed with love 

and peace, 
When God bids death His captive ones release. 

God haste the day when Christ's expectance ends, 

As He his kingdom over Death extends ; '' 

When Light divine on ev ''xy eye shall burst, 

As EartJi the Blessed springs from earth ac- 
cursed. 

Let that day haste^ in substance is the plaint 
For eighteen hundred years made by each saint 
Whose soul is resting in the arms of Love, 
Beneath the Altar in the Courts above.^ 

''But this Man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, 
sat down on the right hand of God ; from henceforth expecting till 
his enemies be made His Footstool. (Hebrews x. 12, 13.) As; it was 
in the days of Lot : they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ; 
they planted, they builded ; but the same day that Lot went out of 
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them 
all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 
(Luke xvii. 2S-30.) 

' We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new 
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing 
that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of Him 
in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2 Peter iii. 13, 14.) And I saw 
a new Heaven and a new Earth : for the first heaven and the first 
earth were passed away ; and there was no more sea. (Revelation xxi. 
I.) [We shall drink of the True Vine, and Oil of Gladness there.] 

" I saw under the Altar the vSouls of them that were slain for the 
Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried 
with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou 
not judge? (Revelation vi. 9, 10.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 25 



Pray for it, Christians! ye who still remain,** 
And as you pray, fight, too, with might and main; 
Thy Kingdofu come^ Thy Will be done on eaj'th^ 
Said from the heart, helps nature's second birth. 

O haste the day ! when into yonder sun 
Revolving planets may together run,'' 
And that new world ^° be made without a night. 
Of which God and the Lamb shall be the light. 

» He which testifieth of these things saith, Surely I come quickly. 
Amen. Even so, come Ivord jESUS. (Revelation xxii. 20.) When ye 
pray, say . . Thy Kingdom cotne. (Luke xi. 2.) Fight the good 
fight of faith, lay hold on Eternal Life, whereunto thou art also 
called. (I Timothy vi. 12.) Knowing this first, that there shall come 
in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying. 
Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, 
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the 
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in 
the water : whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with 
water, perished : but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the 
same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of 
judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter iii. 3-7.) Seeing 
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons 
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and 
hasting unto the coming oiiheT)3.y} (Ibid. vs. 11, 12.) [If I understand 
the inspired Apostle here, he means that we shall pray for the speedy 
coming of the Day of the Lord. To haste unto it is earnestly to de- 
sire it, and godly desire is prayer, penetrating to the mercy seat of the 
"temple not made with hands."] 

''And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together. 
(Revelation vi. 14.) [A scroll " rolled together," is a scroll rolled back 
into itself. ] 

'° And the City had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine 
in it : for the glory of GoD did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light 
thereof. ( Revelation xxi. 23.) 



26 THE GOSPEI. IN STONE 



PART SIXTH- THK RISEN CHRIST-MAN AND HIS 
ABODE, THE GRAND EARTH OF ETERNITY 

For man, and man's abode, great glory waits,' 
When man redeemed and earth God recreates; 
For yonder sun then in earth's light shall pale, 
When Christ our King shall over all prevail. 

One cradle serves each household brood to rock ; 
One sheepfold shelters each successive flock ; 
So, though our planet be so ver}^ small,'"^ 
It may have been the starting - point of all ! 



^ Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the 
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love 
Him. (i Corinthians ii. 9.) And His feet shall stand in that day npou 
the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the 
mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, toward the east and 
toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley ; and half of the 
mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the 
south. (Zechariah xiv. 4.) And there was a great earthquake, such as 
was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and 
so great. (Revelation xvi. 18.) [Physical changes are here indicated 
that will be on a scale of grandeur perhaps exceeding that of the 
original creation of this world of oiirs.] 

- By whom shall Jacob arise ? for he is small. (Amos vii. 2.) For 
who hath despised the da}^ of small things? (Zechariah iv. 10.) For 
my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, 
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are 
my w^s higher than your ways, and my thoiights than your thoughts. 
( Isaiah Iv. 8, 9.) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with 
God. (i Corinthians iii. 19.) 



THE GOSPEI. IN STONE 27 

Here on the vine of earth God may have grown 
The pods from which the seeds of stars were 

thrown : 
"In the beginning," God may here have stood," 
And hence have scattered out each starry brood. 

That Image with the head of gold still stands, 
And in its "feet and toes" respect demands; 
But any moment now the blow may fall' 
Which to the dust and winds shall give it all. 

But spirit lives when grosser matter fails, 
And Life divine o 'er mortal Death prevails : 



* And God made two great lights ; the greater light to rule the day 
and the lesser light to rule the night : He made the Stars also. And 
God set them in the fi7-niament of the heave7i. . . And the evening 
and the morning were the fourtJi day. (Genesis i. 16-19. ( [According 
to this it is plainly to be seen that the Earth has priority of place in 
the order of Creation over all other worlds. Scientific infidelity may 
sneer at this, and a weak and time-serving popular Christianit}- may 
put its finger upon its lip, and bid its pupils keep silence before it, but 
the fact is patent to the simplest mind capable of understanding what 
it reads. To say that Moses wrote without regard to the order of the 
events he records, is only to cast discredit upon the sacred narrative. 
What the Christian has to do, is, wait on the Lord patiently, undoubt- 
ingly, in nothing questioning the truth of His holy lVord\ For it is 
written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to noth- 
ing the understanding of the prudent, (i Corinthians i. 19.) 

* Thou, O king, sawest, and behold, a great Image. . . This image's 
head was of fine gold : . . . his feet part of iron and part of clay. 
Thou sawest till that a Stone was cut out without hands, which smote 
the image upon his feet, . . and brake them to pieces. Then was 
the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken . . and 
the wind carried them away. (Daniel ii. 31-35.) 



28 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

Tho' Nature dies, the man in Christ shall stand, 
And from his God a crown of life command.'* 

For we shall reign with Him, the Scriptures say, 
When sin, and death, and time have passed away ; 
And in Him trample down those hosts of Hell," 
That now against God and the Truth rebel. 



' If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. (2 Timothy ii. 12.) And 
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the Book and 
to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us 
to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, 
and nation ; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests : and 
we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation v. 9, 10.) And when the Chief 
Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth 
not away, (i Peter v. 4.) 

' For I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my furj-. 
( Isaiah Ixiii. 3.) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the 
Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and shall destroy 
with the brightness of His coming: even him whose coming is after 
the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonde;rs, 
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish ; 
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be 
saved. (2 Thessalonians ii. 8-10.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



29 



PART vSEVENTH-RECAPITULATlVE AND EX- 
HORTATORY— CONCLUSION 

Choose, you who read, if you have not before, 
And for your soul salvation's Gift^ secure; 
God by His Spirit speaks as from the stone, 
And bids you JEvSus Lord and Saviour own. 

No need of Christ ? and yet no other Way ! 
Not dead in sins ? yet out of Christ you say ! ' 
Your thread of life is but a mortal breath. 
Each inhalation bears the sting of death ! 



' Then Peter said nnto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of 
you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of &\ns, and ye 
shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts ii. 38.) And when 
Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles' hands the Holy 
Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this 
power. . . Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because 
thou hast thought that the Gift of God may be purchased. (Acts viii. 
18-20.) Ask, and It shall be given you. (Matthew vii. 7.) In the last 
day, that great da}- of the feast, jESUS stood and cried, saying. If anv 
man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on 
me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of liv- 
ing water. ( But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe 
on Him should receive : for the Holy Ghost was not yet given ; be- 
cause that jESUS was not yet glorified.) (John vii. 37-39.) 

- For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, 
but that the world through Him might be saved. . . . He that be- 
lieveth not is condemned already. (Johniii. 17, 18.) If a man abide 
not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men 
gather them, and cast them into the fire. (John xv. 6.) 



30 THE GOSPEI. IN STONE 

If out of Christ, then out of God you are, 
And out of God is sin ; O soul, beware ! 
Go, seek the blessing God in Christ bestows,'" 
And drink the life that from His bosom flows. 

Not in your own, but in Another's Name, 
May you new life from 3^our Creator claim ; 
Nor yet as righteous, but as dead in sins; 
Here poverty of spirit mercy wins,"* 

Stand as a sinner penitent and see 

God through His Son now reconciled to thee ; 

•'This is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders, which 
is become the Head of the Comer. Neither is there Salvation in any 
other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, 
whereby we must be saved. (Acts iv. ii, 12.) Every man therefore 
that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me. 
(John vi. 45.) He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that 
believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you. That ye also 
have seen me, and believe not. . . This is the will of Him that sent 
me, that ever}' one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Hivi, may 
have everlasting life : and I will raise him up at the last day. (Ibid. 
35-40.) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with cor- 
ruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation re- 
ceived by tradition from your fathers ; but with the precious blood of 
Christ, (i Peter i. 18, 19.) 

*And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are 
the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 
V. 2, 3.) God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself not 
imputing their trespasses unto them. ... As though God did be- 
seech you b}- us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to 
God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that 
we might be made the righteousness of God /;/ Him. (2 Corinthians 
V. 19- >i.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 31 



His merits boundless cover thy defects,'' 
His arm omnipotent thy life protects. 

Now God th ' Eternal in the Saviour cries, 
Who in himself brute nature crucifies, 
To him at death a crown of life I '11 give, 
And where I am there he shall ever live.*^ 

O who will not consent to live with God ! 
Who will not now pass underneath the rod ? . 
By help divine o 'er sensu 'us nature rise," 
And seek thro' Christ the pathway to the skies? 

•' If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we 
have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. ( i 
John i. 9, 10. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and 
hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we 
have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. . 
. . And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind 
by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of his flesh 
through death, to present you holy, and vuiblamable, and unreprov- 
able, in his sight: if ye continue in the faith. (Colossians i. 13-23.) 

^ Father, I will that the}- also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with 
Me where I am ; that they may behold my glory, which Thou hast 
given Me : for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. 
(John xvii. 24.) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the 
Father in Me? the luords that I speak unto you I speak not of myself : 
but the Father that dwelleth in me. (John xiv. 10.) 

" And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you 
into the bond of the covenant : and I will purge out from among you 
the rebels, and them that transgress against Me : I will bring them 
forth out of the country where they sojourn, and tliey shall not enter 
into the Land. . . . And there shall ye remember your ways, and 
all your doings, v/herein ye have been defiled ; and ye shall loathe 
yourselves in your own sight. ( Ezekiel xx. 37-43.) 



32 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



With bleeding feet He marks the road for all, 
And shows us how the Tempter to appall; 
Rise, master self — the battle is begun; 
Keep thou the field ** — the 2'ictory is won! 

No more an Eden now for man on earth, 
As mortal he lias lost his heav 'nly birth ; 
Born into conflict with his lusts and sin, 
He must a hero be life's goal to win.^ 

Ask any why man now must fight to win 
Back that inheritance he lost by sin ? 



* He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in 
this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (John xii. 25.) Therefore, 
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For 
if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die : but if ye through the Spirit do 
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led 
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of Cod. . . He that spared 
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not 
with Him also freely give us all things ? . . Who shall separate us 
from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? As it is written. For Thy 
sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the 
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors 
through Him that loved us. (Romans viii. 12-37.) 

® The night is far spent, the day is at hand : let us therefore ca.st off 
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Ro- 
mans xiii. 12.) Finally, ni}' brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in 
the power of His might. Put on the ivhole armour of God, that ye 
may be able to stand against the Aviles of the devil. (Ephesians vi. 
10, II.) For though we walk /;/ the flesh, we do not luar after the 
flesh : (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty 
through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) casting down 
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the 
knowledge of God. (2 Corinthians x. 3-5.) 



THE GOSPEI. IN STONE 33 

When he that way by God forbidden^" chose 
He loosed upon himself a troop of foes. 

The germ of these" hid in the apple lay, 
Eve from the tree of knowledge plucked away 
And to her husband gave — O fateful gift! 
Whose opened eyes did but on ruin lift. 

A ruin boundless as the race of man, 
Whose hight and depth no mortal eye can scan; 
But out of this God by His Son will raise 
A triumph mightier,^" and endless praise. 

1" And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of 
the Garden thou niayest freely eat : but of the tree of the Knowledge 
of Good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. (Genesis ii. i6, 17.) And 
when the woman saw that the tree was good ior food, and that it was 
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise ; she 
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat ; and gave also unto her husband 
with her ; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened. 
(Genesis iii. 6, 7.) 

" Now the Works of the Flesh are manifest, which are these. Adul- 
tery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, ha- 
tred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envjings, 
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like : of the which I tell 
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do 
such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians v. 
19-21.) And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the 
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was 
only evil continually. (Genesis vi. 5.) 

I'-* And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven : and 
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the 
Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and ,i^rcaf 
glory. And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 
and they shall gather together His Elect. (Matthew xxiv. 30, 31.) 



34 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 

For not alone must man his warfare wage, 
Since God the Son to help^'' him doth engage; 
True to himself and God, man's ev 'ry foe 
Shall flee before him, or in death lay low. 

God grant the Gospel here portrayed in stone, 
May to some soul His wa}^ make better known ; 
That Zi'av ivhich iipivard leads ^ and ends in bliss ^ 
Great God! forbid 3'ou man, or I, should miss.^* 

He overcame the world who leads our way. 
And vanquished Satan in that triple fray 



'^ For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So 
that we may boldly say, The Lord is ni}- helper, and I will not fear 
what man shall do unto me. ( Hebrews xiii. 5, 6.) I give unto you 
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the powei* of 
the enemy : and nothing shall by anj' means hurt you. Notwithstand- 
ing in this rejoice not, that the spirits [invisible powers, evil angels,] 
are subject unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your names are 
written in Heaven. ( Luke x. 19, 20.) For without Me ye can do 
nothing. ( John xv. 5.) 

'*And an highway shall be there, and a wav, and it shall be called. 
The Way of Holiness : the unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall 
be for those : the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 
No lion shall be there, nor an)^ ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it 
shall not be found there ; but the redeemed shall walk there. (Isaiah 
XXXV. 8, 9.) Enter ye in at the Strait Gate : for wide is the gate, and 
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which 
go in thereat : because strait is the gate, and narrow is the Way, which 
leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew vii. 13, 14.) 
Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the 
flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the 
Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians vi. 7, 8.) 



THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



35 



Where words were swords, and // 7s ivnttcn 
blazed ^'' 

Before the Tempter, speechless and amazed. 

That word-sword waits your taking, mortal man ! 
Sword of the Spirit, in the Gospel plan ; 
No other weapon of offense we wield. 
The Faith of Jesus, for defense, our shield.^'' 

Hope, as a helmet, shining from the brow. 
No sable thought's intrusion will allow; 
Rejoiec a/way, is the Watchword here ^^ 
As, day by day, we draw to heav 'n more near. 

^■' And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If thou be the Son 
of God, command that these stones be made bi^ead. But He answered 
and said. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil tak- 
eth Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the 
temple, and saith unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself 
down. . . Jesus said unto him, // is ruritten a,i^ai)i. Thou shalt not 
tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh Him up into an 
exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the 
world, and the glory of them ; and saith unto Him, All these things 
will I give Thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. [Self per- 
sonified, in its significance, though really " the prince of this world." 
Then saith jESUS unto him, Get thee hence, Satan : for it is 7vritten, 
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God. (Matthew iv. 3-10.) 

'*'And out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His 
countenance was as the stm shineth in his strength. (Revelation i. 16.) 
Above all, taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith ye shall be able to 
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take . . the Sword 
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians vi. 16, 17.) 

" Rejoice in the Lord alway : and again I say, Rejoice. (Philippians 
iv. 4.) [This repetition of the word is singularly emphatic] 



36 THE GOSPEL IN STONE 



With Rig^hteousness of Christ our breasts in- 
cased, 

Our loins with Truth Divine securely braced ;^^ 

Our feet with preparation of the Gospel shod, 

Dead to the world,^''' zve live^ and walk with God. 

'"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may 
1)e able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. 
Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with Truth, and hav- 
ing on the breastplate of Righteousness ; and your feet shod ivith the 
Preparation of the Gospel of Peace. . . Praying always with all 
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with 
all perseverance and supplication for all Saints ; and for me, that ixt- 
terance may be given unto me, tha; I may open my mouth boldly, to 
make known the Mystery of the Gospel. (Ephesians vi. 13-19.) 

■■'"It is a faithful saying : For if we be dead with Him, we shall also 
live with Him : if we sufifer.we shall also reign with Him : if we deny 
Him, He also will deny us : if we believe not, yet He abideth faithful : 
He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy ii. 1 1-13. For if after they have 
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the 
Lord and Saviour jESUS Christ, they are again entangled therein, and 
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. (2 
Peter ii. 20.) Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father 
is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [be a 
little comforter under the guidance, rule, and direction of the Great 
Comforter, the Holy Ghost,] and to keep himself unspotted from the 
world. (James i. 27.) 



The End. 



ERRATA 

Page 15, Part Third, in lien of the first line of the second stanza, 

please read, 

Christ in the Spirit comes to cv ' ;;;;' heart. 

Page 36, Part Seventh, next to last line of the Poem, please read in 

lien, 

Qjir feet with Gospel preparation shod. 

And if we had really sought for two lines with which to lodge in the 

mind closing thoughts of most profit to the ordinary reader, we 

could not have found two better in the book. Thus, by the grace 

of God, our very mistakes are turned to good account. 



PROSPECTUS. 



The Cottage Pulpit 



A JOURNAL OF CHRISTIAN LITERATURE, CURRENT EVENTS, AND 
PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT. 



[Undenominational and Evangei.icai,. ] 



To be Published Monthly in Nashville, Tennessee, under the 
Editorial management of Rev. W. T. Helms. Each number 
will contain one or more short, practical, original sermons, 
suitable for Christian home reading. 

The Cottage Pulpit will be printed in quarto form, of 
twelve pages, on new and beautiful type, and superior quality 
of book paper. 

The first number will be printed about the middle of June, 
(D.v.) and regularly thereafter. 

Terms $i a year, payable within tzvo vioyiths after reception 
of Jirst luimber. 

Subscriptions solicited. 



Address, 

Cottage Pulpit Publishing Co., 

1206 N. Spruce St., Nashville, Tenn. 



Moses Resisted. 

A POEM, IN TWELVE CANTOS. 

BY WILLIAM THOMAS HELMS. 



Treats especially of the first four of the Plagues of Egypt, 
covering the time that the Magicians, Jannes and Jambres, as 
the human agents and embodiment of the god of this world, 
withstood Moses, the man of God, in his divine call and com- 
mission to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It 
will pay the student of Scripture to buy and read this poem for 
its exegetical value, as a commentary in verse upon these great 
miracles, to say nothing of its worth as a poetical production. 
Upon the latter point, among other flattering notices the book 
received from the press at the time of its first publication we 
reproduce the following from the Fredericksburg (Va.) News: 

Moses Rksisted. — A Poem, in Twelve Cantos, by W. T. Helms. 
From the Press of Haynes & Camp, Nashville, Tenn. We have re- 
ceived a copy of this modest volume of verse, from the pen of a min- 
ister OS the Protestant Episcopal Church in Nashville, who sounds 
the key-note of his poem in the words found in 2 Timothy, 3: 8 — and 
with the inspiration of genuine faith and fervour presents the truth 
of Scripture in opposition to the opinions of modern infidelity and the 
fallacies of so-called scientists. The versification is easy and natural, 
and the Bible story narrated with clear and vivid appreciation. The 
argument is carried through to its clear conclusion and the author 
contrasts opposing belief in these final lines : 

Let scientists who miracles deny 

The sacred record impiously decry; 

Let Huxly, Darwin, Tyndall proudly boast 

They sail along a plain, unbroken coast ; 

Yet, to the man who holy truth revers. 

Their boast as empty as their faith appears. 
— Fredericksburg (Fa.) News. 

The book contains 129 pages, printed in a superior style, 

and neatly bound iu cloth. Price, 75 cts. a copy. Sent by 

mail on receipt of the mone)- . 

Address, 

Cottage Pulpit Publishing Comp.\nv, 

1206 N. Spruce St., Nashville, Tenn. 



mmmmLP'' CONGRESS 

015 973 383 A ^ 



